Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

सम्यग्गीतरहस्यज्ञा नितरां मधुरस्वरा । सप्तस्वरास्त्रयो ग्रामा मूर्च्छनास्त्वैकविंशतिः

Transliteration

samyaggītarahasyajñā nitarāṃ madhurasvarā | saptasvarāstrayo grāmā mūrcchanāstvaikaviṃśatiḥ

Translation

Elle connaissait parfaitement les arcanes du chant et possédait une voix d’une douceur extrême : les sept svaras, les trois grāmas et les vingt et une mūrcchanās.

Word by Word

• सम्यक्: properly/well
• सम्यक्: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• गीत: of song/music
• गीत: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गीत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• रहस्य: of the secret/mystery
• रहस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रहस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• ज्ञा: knower
• ज्ञा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञ (धातु) + ञा/आ (कृदन्त: ज्ञा/ज्ञातृ-भाव)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीह्यर्थे/विशेषण: ‘knowing’ (समासान्त: गीत-रहस्य-ज्ञा)

• नितराम्: exceedingly
• नितराम्: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नितराम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, परिमाण/तीव्रता-वाचक (intensifier adverb)

• मधुरस्वरा: sweet-voiced
• मधुरस्वरा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मधुर (प्रातिपदिक) + स्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण: ‘sweet-voiced’

• सप्तस्वराः: the seven notes
• सप्तस्वराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + स्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• त्रयः: three
• त्रयः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• ग्रामाः: scales/modes (grāma-s)
• ग्रामाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• मूर्च्छनाः: melodic progressions (mūrcchanā-s)
• मूर्च्छनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्च्छना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तु: and/but
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विरोध/विशेष (particle)

• एकविंशतिः: twenty-one
• एकविंशतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकविंशति (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संख्याशब्द

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (kalā-prabhāva within kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The vulture-faced yet graceful girl singing with astonishing sweetness; visualized as seven svaras appearing as symbolic lotuses or notes around her, with three grāmas and twenty-one mūrcchanās depicted as concentric musical mandalas.

Characters & Entities

• sapta-svara
• grāma
• mūrcchanā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The narrative links karmic destiny with refined qualities, portraying sacred contexts as nurturing higher skills like music and sweet speech.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s māhātmya backdrop continues, implicitly presenting the kṣetra as a seat of spiritual and cultural excellence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse describes attributes and traditional music theory terms.